


The Cardinal Plays Hockey

by ljmaystrader



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Day Off, Driving, Fluff and Humor, Food, Gift Fic, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ljmaystrader/pseuds/ljmaystrader
Summary: The Cardinal and his assistant Chloe have a day off together. What sort of shenanigans can they possibly get up to?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Meatballs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Copias_Rat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copias_Rat/gifts).



> This is a gift fic for a fellow seestor for a card exchange a few months back. She has been very /very/ patient with me in getting it done, and I appreciate her very much :D

“Here are you are, Cardinal.” Sister Chloe set the tray down carefully onto the deep cherry oak desk. “I added two extra sugar cubes just the way you like it.” She added, smiling brightly.

Cardinal Copia flicked his newspaper and folded it closed. He placed it off to the side.

“Thank you, cara dulce.” He took the dainty porcelain tea cup up and inhaled deeply. His eyes closed as he savored the scent. “Ah, perfection.” He smiled warmly with his eyes as he took a sip of the piping hot tea. When he finished he set the cup back onto the matching saucer, licking his lip as he did so. “Tell me cara, what’s planned for today?” Copia eased back into his office chair, crossing his legs and placing the saucer precariously on his knee.

“Well, you still have to finalize everything for the final show on this run in Mexico City. You were requested for lunch with Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil. Uh, let’s see…” her voice trailed off as she took up her tablet and swiped through a few pages of notes. “You also have to make a decision on new uniforms for the Siblings of Sin and a few other mandates for the church. Nothing too big to deal with that you haven’t handled before, your Eminence.” Chloe beamed at the seated man, errantly twirling her stylus between her fingers like one would a drumstick.

Copia sighed deeply appearing bored with his seemingly never-ending to-do list. He laced his fingers together and let them lie in his lap. He appeared to be mulling over Chloe’s words, but in truth, he thought of doing something he rarely allowed himself to do.

“Chloe, do you enjoy doing your job?” Copia asked off-handedly.

“I-I’m sorry?” she stammered, caught off guard.

“Do you enjoy all that your job entails? Being told all the time what to do?” Copia waved a hand loftily as he spoke. Chloe often wondered if he would even be able to talk if his hands were bound.

“Well, I mean, that’s my job as your assistant, so I have to do what I’m told. Otherwise you wouldn’t keep me around I don’t think. Why do you ask?” she rested her hip against his heavy desk, chewing nervously on the inside of her lip.

“Don’t you ever get tired of following orders though, cara?” Copia stood suddenly, shoving his chair back. Chloe gasped and reached for the tea cup that had been in his lap, but Copia had managed to not spill a single drop as he snatched up the cup and saucer. He looked down at her with a mischievous grin. “I do.”

Chloe floundered back to an upright position, clutching her tablet to her chest tightly. Her large round glasses were slightly askew lowly on her nose. It was rare for Copia to show any real emotion a work. He was after all, employ of the month for quite some time and thus had a reputation to uphold. She reached up, righting her glasses where they belonged. Her deep brown eyes watched the Cardinal cross his office, snatch up his jacket and spin on his heel to face her.

“How would you like to play hockey today, cara?”

“Hockey?” her eyebrows knit in confusion. It dawned on her like a light bulb above her head. She was nonetheless confused. “You mean hooky?” She arched her eyebrow up.

“Details, details,” Copia waved his hand in the air. You would like to come or no?”

A brief wide smile split her lush plump lips, before being quickly replaced with a slight scowl. “What about all of your appointments, Cardinal? I’ll have to reschedule everything and Sister Imp- ooh!”

Copia had had one arm in his jacket before shrugging on the other as she spoke, staring down at her tablet. He surprised her by plucking it quickly from her hands.

“Today, cara, leave this here,” he said, setting it gently onto his desk. “No work today.” Copia smiled and patted the tablet. “Today we play hooky. And tomorrow we go back to the routine, eh?”

Chloe wanted to reach out for her electronic life-line. She wanted to stick to the schedule because that is what she was good at. She was never one for the whole spontaneous thing. But Copia’s warm assuring smile and the light hopeful and roguish gleam in his eye made a very convincing argument.

“Okay.” She sealed her agreement with a nod. Her flouncy natural curls bobbed with her head. She pushed up her glasses to give her empty hand something to do, already out of her comfort zone and without a safety net.

“Wonderful!” He clapped his gloved hands together then rubbed them. The soft leather made small squeaky sounds. Chloe wondered when he had the time to put them on. “I already have an idea of how to play hooky. Now, what is your absolute favorite food, Sister Chloe?”

“Meatballs!” Chloe answered enthusiastically without even thinking. Her family had always competed to see who could make the best ones each year around Christmas. She missed the tradition ever since they disowned her for wanting to join the Satanic church as it didn’t align with their deep seated catholic religious views. Her love of the tasty food never waned however.

“Oh that’s a good choice indeed, cara mia! Come, I know just the place!”

With that, he whisked the beautiful Chloe down to the garage and into the standard ministry issue black Toyota Corolla and off they went on an adventure.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t take a convertible,” the Cardinal sighed. “It’s a very nice day out is it not?” He rolled the windows down a bit, allowing the crisp air to flow freely through the sedan.

Chloe on the other hand was less than thrilled with the exceptionally chilly late winter air. She hunkered down inside her fluffy coat, snuggling and burrowing into its warmth like a rat would a newspaper nest. The Cardinal hummed along to whatever tune was playing through the stereo, seemingly very content with the unusual situation.

“Ah, cara, you must lighten up, yes? You surely must know this song.” Copia cheerfully said as he turned the volume up. Chloe realized that whatever it was was not playing through the radio at all; it was someone enthusiastically singing an ABBA hit, albeit far less muffled now that she removed her fluffy earmuffs.

“Cardinal, is… is that Cher?” she asked. The man beside her hummed an agreement. Chloe’s lips split into a wide grin. “I used to love Cher when I was younger. I mean, I still do of course, but I wasn’t aware she put out a new album.”

“Yes! She did the newest _Mamma Mia_ soundtrack and had so much fun she decided to put out a whole new album of just ABBA covers as a tribute sort of thing!” Copia exclaimed, tapping a beat on the steering wheel in time with the tune.

As he began to sing along to _“S.O.S”_ , Chloe caught herself singling along with him. It was different to say the least to see the man who was usually so reserved, quiet, and shy off the stage giving essentially what was a private performance such as this. At work he was very careful and borderline anal about every little detail so this was rather refreshing to see him ‘let his hair down’ so to speak. This allowed Chloe to relax a little, even if the Cardinal was trying to freeze her half to death.

After about half an hour of driving, give or take, Copia made a turn onto a side street. Chloe didn’t recognize the area as she rarely ventured further than the small town that lay nestled just outside the ministry grounds.

“You like meatballs, yes?” He beamed at his assistant. “Mama Cozi makes the best meatballs in a fifty kilometer radius. I would know; I tried them all,” he pat his stomach and chuckled a little at himself. “I tried very hard to get her recipe but, eh, Mama just laughed at me.” He shrugged, turning into the parking lot of a rather plain looking red building with a handful of windows with white trim.

Chloe unbuckled as the car was shifted into park. They got out together before Copia could open her door for her. Instead, he offered his arm to her which she obliged him with a light blush. He walked around to the front where an LED open sign was lit up. Copia politely opened the door for Chloe, ushering her inside before entering and closing the door behind himself.

“Hello, hello, welcome! Please find a spot and I’ll be there momentarily!” A pleasant woman’s voice called out. Chloe looked about for a spot she liked, nodding towards an empty booth off to the side. She tugged Copia’s sleeve when he wasn’t moving with her. She pointed. The Cardinal took his assistant by the hand, leading to the booth she chose. He offered to take her puffy coat and scarf, to which Chloe nodded. He hung them on a hook on her side of the booth. He then doffed his black jacket and hung it on its own little hook before sliding into the bench seat.

A few moments later an older woman with white blonde hair and deep smile lines appeared. She was perhaps in her late fifties, Chloe judged.

“Hi and welcome to The House, I am Cecilia and we thank you for joining us for lunch.” She handed two white paper menus to the Cardinal and Chloe as she spoke. “Have you visited before?” Chloe had her nose already in the menu, looking over the lunch choices, so the Cardinal spoke up for the both of them.

“I have of course, but it is this one’s first time.” Copia smiled, waving his hand at his assistant.”I however, am very fond of Mama Cozi’s.” He chuckled softly patting his belly. This seemed to amuse Cecilia as she too, giggled.

“Alright then, well if you know what you want I can go ahead and put in your order.”

“I still need a minute, if that’s ok?” Chloe had put her hand up before looking up over the menu at the server. The older woman nodded sagely.

“Do you know what you would like to drink then?”

“Water for me please.” Chloe piped up, her eyes still scanning the food choices.

“And the gentleman?” The server turned her gaze towards Copia with a thin lipped smile.

“Water and a glass of whatever the house wine is today.” Copia smiled. He caught his assistant raise her eyebrow, but say nothing.

“I’ll go ahead and get that right out to you.” Cecilia gave a quick curt nod and went about towards the back of the house.

_Lunch Specials Weekly Mon Fri 11:00 -13:00  
Meatballs w/ potato puree, lingon berries & pickled cucumber  
Baked cabbage with pickled turnip, mustard vinaigrette & roasted almonds  
Ask About Daily Specials!  
Monday  
Lentil soup w/ julienne carrots  
Tuesday  
Jerusalem artichoke soup w/ herb oil  
Wednesday  
Spice sweet potato soup w/ herb baked croutons  
Thursday  
Potato & leek soup w/ vasterbotten cheese baked croutons  
Friday  
Cabbage soup w/ garlic croutons_

Copia wordlessly hummed as he watched his assistant’s eyes scanning the food choices over and over. On about the fifth time he cleared his throat, causing her to glance up at him. She raised her eyebrows in question.

“Do you see anything you want to try other than meatballs? I myself enjoy the potato and leek soup.” He suggested thoughtfully.

“Oh, but it isn’t Thursday though is it?” Chloe interjected.

“That’s alright. I’ve been wanting,” he shook his head. “No, more like craving some good hearty meatballs with more substance than sawdust.” Copia’s face twisted in slight disgust. “Since Sister Adelaide stepped down and poor Charlotte passed, I’m afraid the food hasn’t been the same has it?”

“Here we are, two waters, and a crisp white for the gentleman,” the server broke Copia from his reverie, placing their respective drinks before the pair. “Are you ready or still need a moment?” the older woman, Cecilia, asked.  
“I’m ready if you are, your Eminence.” Chloe said softly. Copia nodded then turned to the server.

“Yes, let us have please two plates of meatballs, ah- the lunch specials please and if it’s available, some of Mama Cozi’s garlicky bread.” The Cardinal fidgeted as he smiled nervously up at the older woman. He obviously struggled to talk without using his hands.

“Alright, I’ll go and get that in for you.” Cecilia took the lunch menus, spinning to go take care of their orders.

“So Cardinal…,” Chloe began, clearing her throat. “I can’t help but to ask what made you want to um, play hooky today?” She shifted in her seat. Normally she would be perusing her tablet for the next item on the agenda. Without it close by, she was feeling slightly uncomfortable.

“Well,” Copia looked across the table at his assistant, then to his glass, and back up to Chloe. She thought he appeared almost guilty instead of his usual demeanor. He continuously wrung his hands together, and licked his lips as he searched for the proper way to explain himself. Finally he sighed deeply, a long huff of a breath seemingly in resignation. It’s just you know, all the stress it-it’s been building up and,” Copia paused to breathe, looking down at his hands, “as much as I want to just say that it looked like a lovely day, I know you’re far too smart to blindly accept that.” The Cardinal dared a quick glance to Chloe, who looked as if she were on the edge of the seat.

“Can you keep a secret?” Copia leaned in, whispering. His tone grave, serious, yet caring a hint of excitement as if it were something dangerous he was about to divulge. Chloe swallowed thickly. She nodded, her hair gently swaying with the motion as she mirrored him by leaning in closely. She was clearly eager to learn a secret. Copia swept his eyes across the room to check once more in case there were prying ears. Nearby patrons only seemed concerned to their own conversations and meals. He lowered his voice even more. It was barely more than a breeze when he spoke.

“I’m not going to be a Cardinal for much longer.” 

Chloe’s eyes widened then narrowed. Her brows knit together as she tried to make sense of what he said. It didn’t make sense. As far as she was aware there were no higher offices to be held. She tumbled his words around and around for a moment but came up short.

“I’m sorry?” she finally asked in sheer confusion. The man across from her rolled his eyes. He thought he had been clear enough. “Are you going to another archdiocese?” Chloe added.

“No, no of course not! I’m going to be a Papa soon!”

Chloe, for a moment could have been knocked over with a feather. It posed far more questions than answers. She simply stared across the table at Copia with her jaw slack. Beads of condensation slid down her water glass. 

“Chloe?” Copia called to her with a tilt of his head. This was not the reaction he anticipated. Her lack of reaction was something he didn’t see her having. “You did hear me, yes?”

“Yeah…” She picked up her glass of water and drank deeply. Chloe used this time to continue to mull over Copia’s revelation. When she set down her glass it was half empty. She licked her lips, still unsure of what to say exactly. “I think- it just… This is just very sudden and rather unexpected I think.” She stared at her water glass as if it would provide answers. _Not to mention he hasn’t had any relationships in a while…_ she thought. “I’m not sure what to say honestly. Um, congratulations Cardinal.”

Copia beamed at this and clapped his hands together. He overlooked her uncertainty and skipped all the way to the very end. “Thank you, cara. Although, clearly I cannot divulge all the details just yet, I assure you all will be revealed in due time.” He simply looked beside himself with relief at finally being able to reveal his biggest secret to someone other than his pet rats. However it now dawned on him that along with this big reveal, he must now rely on his most trusted personal assistant to keep this big secret. After all, people talk much, much more than rats do.

“So who’s the lucky lady?”

Copia nearly spat out his wine, his eyes bulging out, wide and confused. Continuing to cough, he dabbed at his mouth with the paper napkin that accompanied the silverware. He sputtered, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You said you’re going to be a papa. I just meant to ask who the mother would be. But if you aren’t ready to spill the tea then I suppose that’s fine.” Chloe went to reach for her tablet to begin looking at whatever dates and appointments that would need to be rescheduled and moved around, but recalled that it was still sitting alone and forlorn on the Cardinal’s desk. She frowned slightly.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Copia chuckled nervously. “No, I’m afraid you misunderstand. I’m going to be _Papa_ soon.” He added extra emphasis as he slowly pronounced the word. He watched as his assistant scrunched up her face as she tried to make the pieces click together. After a few seconds he decided to give her another hint. He mimed a very tall hat, swelling and coming to a gentle point at the very top. Almost immediately the light bulb went off above her head. She clasped her hands in front of her face, gasping. Copia grinned wildly and nodded, folding his hands together on the edge of the table.

“What?!” she hissed in a hushed yet excited whisper slamming her palms down onto the table. The silverware clinked together. Copia’s water sloshed against the rim of the clear glass. “Wha-I mean-what-how?!” Copia was well known to have been an orphan, raised within the church with all the other uninitiated until he entered into the postulency upon coming of age, and well, the rest of the steps until he now sat here in front of her as Cardinal. There was no way a Papa would not be of the Emeritus Bloodline, and seeing as how that was just clearly not the case, she couldn’t see how he could possibly enter the papacy. There simply were no more Emeritus’ aside from Nihil.

“Surely you’re joking…” Chloe sat back against the back of the booth, slumping slightly. Her hands slinked down the table and down to her lap.

The Cardinal shook his head. “Cara, you know me better than that. Besides, why couldn’t I be Papa? I think I would do a good job…” he looked at his hands, inspecting his black lacquer nails before looking back at Chloe. “Again, I cannot disclose a great deal of information, but I know I can trust you not to say anything to anyone; and I do mean anyone. No one else must know this.” Copia leaned forward with great intensity and brevity to his words. He watched as Chloe swallowed and nod meekly.

“So this is a warning of ‘tell anyone and you die’ sort of thing then…”

“What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?” He asked as he leaned back, crossing his legs under the table. “If anything think of this as a promotion. Who else could I trust with such information, but yourself?” He picked up his glass by the wine stem swirling the liquid with ease.

Chloe’s eyes softened as she relaxed. She didn’t want to admit how frightened she had just been about the potential prospects and weight of her superior’s words. Although she couldn’t quell the small flicker of pride she felt. After all, she worked so hard to fight and earn her position and she felt like it was now about to shift into overdrive. She would be Papa’s personal assistant; his right-hand, go-to person for council and comfort…

Ok, maybe not all of that but still, very important nonetheless.

She didn’t get a chance to say anything in reply to thank the Cardinal nor accurately congratulate him, because about that time the lovely server Cecilia returned with their plates. Everything looked and smelled absolutely mouth-watering. She couldn’t wait to dig in to the meatballs as they were set in front of her. Chloe licked her lips in anticipation.

Copia thanked the server; politely declining her requests for anything more. Instead, he watched with rapt attention as his assistant utterly devoured the first meatball, then the second. She nearly groaned with satisfaction. It was juicy and perfectly cooked. He smirked, propping his elbow on the table edge, his chin set against the top of a curled fist as he waited for his own food to cool before he too dug in.

Time passed silently between the pair as they ate in comfortable complacency. The scrape of forks and knives, soft clinking of glass against glass came from around them from other patrons as well as the back of the house. Chloe was the first to break the quiet lull. She finished dabbing at her mouth with the napkin before setting it next to the plate.

“I have to say Cardinal, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when we came in, but I am pleasantly surprised. You also have to invite me out or- or even mention the thing; you know the thing about the thing.” She articulated with her hands and moved them roughly how he had before in regards to the mitre. “So, thank you for that.”

Copia politely finished chewing his bite before setting his fork and knife aside. He too, wiped his mouth clean before speaking.

“Cara there is no need for thanks; however I will still accept them. You are more than just my assistant you know. You are also whom I consider a friend.” Copia smiled warmly. It appeared honest and genuine. Chloe had to admit it tugged on her heartstrings a little.

“Thank you Cardinal. I’m very glad to hear that. I also consider you a friend as well, but you’re also my boss so… you know… I didn’t want to cross any boundaries, you understand.” She was picking up the Cardinal’s habits as she unknowingly continued to talk with her hands. Copia chuckled, nodding. He understood all too well.

“I see. Even in a Satanic church with as many blurred lines as there are statues of the One Below, one doesn’t wish to mix business with pleasure. It gets messy, eh?” Copia smirked, the corners of his mouth curling and his smile lines becoming more pronounced. Chloe blushed as he once again he had misinterpreted things. She chocked it up to Copia just being Copia, shrugging it off with a shake of her head. The Cardinal huffed out a laugh as the pair resumed their meals.

The rest of the late breakfast, early lunch was spent just enjoying the food paired with a few laughs and jovial light-hearted topical chatter. Copia insisted he be the one to pay for Chloe’s lunch citing that he was the one to drag her along and that made it his responsibility. Copia donned his jacket once more. He dropped the handful of coins that was to be his change in the tip jar on the counter.

Once they were comfortably back inside the sedan, the Cardinal cleared his throat before speaking quietly.

“I do have one more place in mind to go if that is alright with you, cara?” 

Chloe nodded. She ingested a bit more than she had been expecting and thus needed time for her stomach to settle so she figured she could just nap while Copia ran a few errands. No big deal.

“Wonderful! I will be driving up a few hills, yes, so ah, do you get car sick? I have medicine for that I think. If not then we can always pick some up at the drugstore. The ghouls, they um, they do not handle the ups and downs very well, you see.” Copia said sagely.

“I wasn’t aware of that, no.” Chloe replied.

“Yes, quite. Dewdrop especially.” The Cardinal explained, starting the car. He allowed it to idle a moment to warm up. “He hates travelling and gets very ill. Poor thing has to be so sedated with Dramamine he sleeps most of the bus rides. But that doesn’t answer my question however: do you need medicine?”

“Ah, no. I don’t think I do. I’ve never been carsick before that I know of so I should be fine.”

“Splendid. Well then, let us be off hm?” Copia pulled out of the parking space, maneuvering through the parking lot until he pulled onto the main road.

“Cardinal Copia?” Chloe piped up. She guessed he didn’t hear her over the radio so she repeated herself. “Cardinal Copia?” 

He hummed in response, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Can you tell me more about how you’re um, moving up in your new position?”

“Now Sister, I already have said I cannot go into the details, yes? Trust me. All secrets- well maybe not _all_ secrets- but some shall be revealed in due time. You have my word.” He moved his hand from the gear shift in the floor to Chloe’s knee, patting it in a paternal feeling of assurance. He didn’t sound upset or that he was even admonishing her, just reiterating what he had stated over lunch. “Trust your Cardinal.”

Chloe nodded. “I just worry you know? After what happened to the previous Papas, Satan rest their souls,” she made the reverse cross over her breast, a relic of habit from her past that brought her comfort. “I don’t want anything ill to befall you.” She went back to fidgeting with her cuticles and nails trying to divert some of her nervous energy into not peeling or biting them as she was prone to do. 

The man beside her clucked his tongue. “Is that what this is about? You just worry for your Cardinal? I appreciate your concern Sister Chloe, I truly do.” He smiled over at his assistant next to him in the passenger seat. “I should think I will be fine, but I still find your worry to be touching.” He said before chuckling then continuing in a softer voice, “I do have you, my faithful assistant to protect me though.”

Chloe giggled, playfully swatting at him. “Yeah right! I’ll just whack whoever with my ipad!” She cackled. The Cardinal laughed along.

It was the most he felt he had been able to let himself go in recent memory. It was different to be himself with Chloe versus the ghouls; he still had to have a firm hand even in their down time. Climbing from the bottom of the barrel as a no name uninitiated to get his foot in the door with the higher clergy was finally beginning to pay off, no matter how much he had to sacrifice to get there. In the long run it would be worth it- it had to be. He prayed that the One Below would not forsake him now, not when he was so close…


	2. Going to Pizza Pizza for a Slice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and the Cardinal enjoy a nice car ride then learn to spend some quality time together.

The pair continued to joke around for the rest of the car ride through the forests of Lincopia, keeping their chats light and topical. Curiosity got the better of Chloe however. She couldn’t stand not knowing where they could possibly be going after thirty minutes of driving.

“Ah, well you see, I happened upon a map while doing some research for Papa Nihil down in the old archives, and so I asked the Overseer about it. Turns out, the church owns far more land than we know and over the years has covered its tracks by changing the ownership names every few decades or so. But eh, the church in fact owns the majority of the neighboring towns.”

Chloe stared at the Cardinal for a moment, slack jawed as she digested his words. Suddenly as if completing a circuit, it dawned on her. She smacked her fists on her knees exclaiming “That’s it!”

“What’s ‘it’ Sister?” Copia asked, startled at his companions’ sudden outburst.

“That’s how the church makes so much money! You know, aside from the Ghost project’s revenue- though I mean I never thought it could possibly be enough to cover the entire clergy’s salary.” Chloe muttered to herself quietly. Copia barely understood her mumbling so he nodded along. “With owning all these businesses and…” Chloe continued rambling incoherently as she did calculations in the air with her fingers as she worked out the problems in her head. She was astonished that it never occurred to her before that it was never strange to see so many Siblings of Sin out and about openly in the town, or even ghouls for that matter. They were all always welcomed in almost all establishments and no one batted an eye to their unusual attire. The only time it ever was a problem was if someone new moved to the area, but even then they just sort of rolled with it after a while. It all made sense to her now that of course, these had to all be church sanctioned businesses and just how many people were on the payroll had to be astronomical… 

Copia had gone quiet, allowing Chloe to ramble to herself about things as she worked out what he had mentioned. He pulled onto an old service road that one would hardly notice and overlook easily unless they knew it was there ahead of time. Gravelly rocks and general forest debris crunched under the sedan’s tires as he traveled deeper into the dense forest. Chloe, now out of her own mind and back to paying somewhat attention to her surroundings noted that the tire tracks seemed to be more prominent than she had expected for an off-road.

“Cardinal, I thought you said this place we were going was old and abandoned?” she asked. The Cardinal scoffed, half-laughing.

“I never said anything of the sort, Cara. I said it the map was old, and I suppose in turn yes, the plot of land is old. But it, well, I suppose it could be considered abandoned.” He mused quietly. “No, Cara, I come out here often after the work day, late at night you know, to think and enjoy some quiet time away from the church.” His lips curled into an easy smile. He glanced over to Chloe then back to the road. A soft blush crept over her freckled skin. Chloe cleared her throat, pushing her glasses back up her nose as she turned to face forward again, gazing out the windshield.

A very small, yet terrifying thought crept from the depth of her over-active imagination into the forefront. Her blood ran cold as she chanced a sidelong glance at her boss. Was he bringing her all the way out to the middle of nowhere to ensure her silence over him spilling the beans about his future papal plans? Would he truly go to such lengths to murder her and dump her body so no one would find her? No, this was silly. Although… No. Her facial expressions continued going back and forth as she battled inwardly.

She barely registered that the Cardinal was speaking to her and bringing the car to a stop. Her heart raced, thundering in her eardrums as it all but drowned out all other sound. Her vision was tunneling and her breaths became quicker, more shallow.

A quick rapping of knuckles against her window sharply drew her attention. She snapped her head to the side, squealing with fright at the unexpected sound and close proximity of the face that was there. The face and the body it was attached to darted back with a cry of surprise, equally frightened.

Copia stood back with a gloved hand to his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

“Sister, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I said we were here and then you didn’t move or get out. Whatever is the matter?” He looked more pale than usual, his eyebrows hiked up with worry as he opened the passenger side door.

“Sorry Card-“ she swallowed thickly, “Cardinal. I guess I must have zoned out and then suddenly you were out there and close and just…” she trailed off as she accepted his gloved hand, exiting the car. She straightened up and stretched her legs.

“Ah, well, no harm done I suppose. Are you alright?” Copia stepped back to allow her some space. Chloe nodded, adjusting her coat. “Good. Eh, I thought you might enjoy this spot. There’s a decommissioned watch tower that overlooks the valley. It has a wonderful view, but um, if you are this jumpy we do not have to go up inside. You can sort of see the view from a certain spot below it. Though it is admittedly much more beautiful from the top. Well worth the climb.” Copia smiled hopefully. 

“Lead the way then.” Chloe nodded her head once. She kept close enough to hear him as he talked over his shoulder while they walked but just far enough away that he couldn’t grab her easily if he suddenly turned on her. She battled with herself, mentally chastising the thought that Copia would ever do anything to harm her. _But on the other hand…_ she reasoned you just never knew the lengths someone would go to sometimes.

After all, there was still much speculation regarding the death of the former Papas. Many believed that it had been no accident at all. It was too much a coincidence that there was a random gas leak in only the particular room that the men had been playing cards in and nowhere else in that wing of the ministry that had been reported. Chloe admittedly was unsure what her exact thoughts were about the entire debacle, but she knew for a fact that the roiling in her stomach was heavy guilt about thinking ill of her friend and boss.

She was lost in her own head and missed that Copia had stopped for a brief moment to pause, causing Chloe to smack into him head first. The Cardinal made a small _oof_ as he stumbled forward before catching himself. Chloe instinctively put her arms up to brace herself.

“Oh! I’m sorry Cardinal, I didn’t mean to. A-are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, Cara. I’m fine. You?” Copia turned at the waist to look at her. He reached out taking one of her hands in his and began to rub small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Chloe offered a weak, somewhat guilty smile. Her gaze flitted between where their hands joined then back to his mismatched eyes. Hesitantly she relaxed, allowing him to keep hold of her hand; the warm leather was very welcoming against her cool skin.  
“Are you sure you’re alright, Cara? You’ve just been uncharacteristically quiet.” His voice laden with concern and worry made Chloe’s slight guilt even more prominent. She tried to dispel it as she nodded to the Cardinal. “Very well then; we are almost there anyway. Perhaps you will feel better when you see the view, eh?” He added hopefully.

The duo continued walking (though Chloe would consider it more akin to hiking) through the forest, crunchy leaves and twigs littering their path. Soon enough the tower came into view above the canopy of the ancient oaks. The Cardinal buzzed with anticipation at sharing this place with his assistant and friend. He knew she would enjoy the spot as much as he did as soon as she saw it from the top. He smiled wildly as he suddenly spun on heel, rounding on Chloe. 

Startled, she stopped just shy of plowing into him again. She looked at him with wide bright eyes.

“Yes, Cardinal?” She asked confusedly. “You good?”

“My dear I am wonderful. I am just very excited to show you. Here, close your eyes.” He watched Chloe hesitantly close her eyes, waving his free hand in front of them to make sure she wasn’t peeking. “Now, come stand right,” he pulled and pushed Chloe into position, careful to not topple her over a rock or a stray tree root, “here.” Copia let go of Chloe’s hand momentarily so he could step behind her and cover her eyes with his leather clad hands. His excitement was nearly palpable.

“Cardinal is all this really necessary?” Chloe asked mockingly with a giggle. 

“Well, you tell me. Ready?” 

Chloe could hear his smile in his voice. It was like a small child leading you to their ‘hideout’ under a blanket fort. She couldn’t suppress her tickled laughter as she nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Cardinal Copia slowly lifted his hands away from her face. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the sunlight streaming around the both of them for a second, blinking until her vision became clear again. She gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. For a brief moment she stood transfixed to the spot in sheer admiration and amazement. Breathtaking wasn’t quite the word as her hands slowly lowered, revealing her mouth agape. 

Chloe was well aware of the numerous and rather picturesque mountain ranges all throughout the region, but she had never had ample opportunity to see for herself just how majestic they could truly be. Slowly she took a few tentative steps forward toward the tree line of the cliff. Copia stared at her like the sun set and rose with every breath she took. A look of sheer pleasure lit up his entire face. 

“Oh… oh my… Copia, it’s beautiful out here.” She exclaimed in a reserved voice as if she were afraid of being too loud in the face of such splendor. Chloe turned her face to him briefly before turning back quickly to continue gazing out over the various rolling hills and valleys. The brilliant blue sky was dotted with tufts of stark white poufs of clouds. Chloe felt she could probably see the whole country from where she stood.

Copia was quietly off to the side, smiling widely as Chloe just watched the clouds roll by. She seemed mesmerized by the way their shadows fell across the tree covered hills and valleys. An unfamiliar warmth spread through him as he continued gazing at her in muted awe.

Chloe on the other hand, felt silly now, doubting Copia like she had. She would go later to confession and whoever was on the other side of the screen would probably laugh to themselves about it and offer her light praise or something.

“No wonder you come out this far in the middle of nowhere.” She said, turning to face the Cardinal. The base of the metal stairs caught her attention and immediately she felt the urge to climb higher for a better view.

“Yes, it is rather lovely. You should see the sunsets.” Copia chuckled, a slight blush creeping up his neck. He made to follow Chloe as she bounded up the first flight, excitedly taking the metal steps two at a time. He knew better than to attempt such moves himself, his bones and joints had their limits despite what fans saw on the stage. Copia climbed up after his assistant, the tower swaying ever so gently with Chloe’s weight shifting around above him.

“Cardinal!” Cardinal, look! See those birds over there? They’re flying in formation! Look over there!” Chloe leaned against the slightly rusted railing perhaps a bit too far for Copia’s comfort, pointing excitedly at the small flock. He put his hand up to shield the sun from his eyes. He vaguely saw the birds Chloe was so excited about as he huffed up the last few steps, finally reaching the landing. He watched his assistant lean this way then that, going from one side to the other as if the view would miraculously change somehow.

The wind whipped around with more of a bite now since they were even with the majority of the treetops instead of sheltered by their canopy. Copia shivered. He wrapped his arms about his middle, hugging himself.

“You know we can go inside, right Cara?” he nodded in the direction of the lightly rusted green metal door with reinforced plate glass. He turned the knob and with a hint of resistance, pushed the door open. It squealed with unused protest. Copia stepped inside the cozy space and held the door jar for Chloe. The heavy thing creaked and whined as it closed itself behind them once she had safely stepped in.

The room was a mix of natural stained aok and green muted metal with a bunk bed, a small square wooden table littered with papers ant two metal folding chairs on opposing sides. Along the front wall was a control panel of sorts with many bits and bobs, flip switches, toggles, multi-colored plastic lights, and what appeared to be an older style radio system with a heavy looking microphone speaker that sat atop a big square base. Various maps of a few sorts were tacked to the walls and even rolled up on top of the same green-colored lockers that were pushed against the wall in front of the bunk bed.

Chloe went around inspecting everything the room had to offer. She unearthed a deck of playing cards, a handful of paperback books, some random odds and ends including a rather risqué centerfold taped to the inside of one of the lockers. She gave a sly grin to the Cardinal who ardently denied knowing of its existence, though the blush and aversion of his eyes spoke to the contrary.

Copia occupied the single rolling office-type chair, sitting somewhat comfortably at the console while Chloe continued her exploration. He watched her turn out every cabinet nook and cranny until she had taken a mental inventory of every single item. When her curiosity had been sated, she took the deck of cards in hand and crossed the small floor space to stand hovering over her boss.

“Do you play cards by any chance?” she asked quietly. Copia looked up at her with a somewhat weak smile.

“I have only played in my youth and I dare say that was some time ago. But I do remember how to play go-fish. I play frequently with the Rain ghoul actually.” His mismatch eyes were soft as he recalled the fond memories. “I taught him how to play and he really took a liking to it.”

“That’s really sweet your Eminence. I’ve heard how card games on the band bus usually go, so I’m surprised you don’t join in the fun with that.” Chloe grinned, propping her hip up against the console, folding her arms. It would be foolish to think that whatever escapades happened on the band bus would stay within it’s confines solely amongst its inhabitants. Chloe’s close friend Annie was on a rotation of the last leg of the North American tour with the Cardinal and ghouls. She and several other siblings of sin were along as ‘aids’ for the ghouls, and there truly was no gag order that could bind their mouths once they were home. From Annie’s accounts the ghoul’s favorite pastimes on the bus during their downtime (aside from the obvious) were various card games that involved copious amounts of stripping. Chloe found it odd that the Cardinal was never dealt in.

“If you want, I can teach you what I know, or we can play a few rounds of go-fish.”

Chloe was thrilled to teach her skills to Copia. He was either a very quick learner or a very good liar. She was flabbergasted at how quickly he seemed to pick up the waterfall shuffle. 

Neither of them is quite sure how much time has passed until one of them yawned, standing up to stretch their legs. The sun was just on the cusp of setting as Chloe arched her back with her hands curled into fists on either side of her low back as she hoped to pop a few vertebra. She had grown quite stiff after sitting for so long.

“Cardinal, what time is it? How long do you think we’ve been up here?” Chloe glanced around for the clock she remembered spotting earlier. Unfortunately it had long since had its batteries dried up because it certainly was not 9:18. The little light in her head went off as she remembered he had not stripped her of all her electronics earlier this morning. She reached into her jacket pocket to fish her phone out, only to scowl at the blank black screen. It too apparently did not have enough battery power to last the day either. She knew she needed a new phone, and this only proved to solidify it.

“It’s only about 1600 hours, Cara; still early evening. Do not fret so. Though if it is such a heavy concern, we can leave if you like;” Copia leaned back against the metal folding chair with a sly smirk and a knowing look in his eyes, “unless of course, you wish to see the sunset from our vantage point.”

“Oh, but Cardinal what about all the paper work and-and the tour details you were supposed to finalize. And then there was the fact that you just up and ran off without giving me the chance to cancel the meeting with Sister Imperator and,” she bit her thumb as her anxiety spiked, “she is gonna be so mad. Not to mention all the other things we were supposed to get done today…” Her voice trailed off as she began pacing around the small space.   
Copia stood now, his joints automatically vocalizing their protest. He caught Chloe on her third or fourth circuit around the diminutive room. His hands were warm yet firm as he set them to her shoulders.

“Do not worry yourself, my dear. I told you we would do the hockey today and not worry about all of our responsibilities, yes? Everything will be waiting for us when we return and everything will be completed in its time. It will be fine, I assure you.” His worms seemed to do the trick. Chloe’s frazzled nerves seemed to find their edges less frayed as she looked down at her feet, nodding minutely.

She would never admit it, though in that moment she had sworn she saw a spectre of Papa Emeritus III in Copia just then. The way he had spoken with such certainty at the thought of procrastination. It was uncanny. 

“Hooky, by the way. It’s not ‘hokey’, Cardinal, unless we turn ourselves around.” She snickered at her pun, flicking her eyes up to Copia. His look of sheer confusion sent her. Copia’s eyebrows rose in further bewilderment, tossing her into complete belly laughs and guffaws.

She wrapped her arms around her middle, doubling over. Copia crossed his own arms and cocked his hip out, tapping his toes rather impatiently at being left out of the punchline. He could have channeled Papa III’s ghost for all he acted like him in that moment.

“I’m sorry! Hahah! I’m sorry,” she gasped inbetween laughs. “I just saw the opportunity and couldn’t help myself.”

Copia rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. Make jokes at the Cardinal hm? We shall see if you still make jokes when it opens up for a new assistant-“ he didn’t quite get all the words out before Chloe sobered up and began back-peddling about how she didn’t really mean it and that she was truly sorry about the whole thing. Copia grinned and snickered, unable to hold it in any longer. “I kid, I kid! You know you are irreplaceable to me, cara mia.” He reached out and grasped Chloe’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “If you would like to return to the church, we shall. But if you want, I know this really great pizzeria…”

“Cardinal, how can you even think about food?” Chloe grimaced. “I ate so much I don’t even think I could stand the sight of it!” No sooner did she get the words spoken into existence did her stomach betray her by growling obscenely. Her face turned crimson and burned with embarrassment. She looked to the Cardinal offering a weak, timid smile. “Ok, so maybe I could go for a slice?” her voice tilted up. “But we get it to go, ok? We can’t put off going back to work for forever.”

While Copia agreed, he didn’t really want to back just yet. This was the most fun he had had ditching work since he couldn’t remember when. He gave her a cheeky grin.

“Alright. But one more rematch of Go Fish, eh? I really think I can best you this time!”

The pair continued playing for another half-hour after Copia failed to win and politely requested best two out of three matches (which he subsequently lost as well). They packed up the deck and cleared away anything else that may have gotten pulled out from Chloe’s investigation earlier and made their way outside taking the steps down carefully. It had grown much chillier since the sun had set and the wind had quite a nip to it.

Copia tugged his jacket a little closer, tilting his chin down to shield his neck. He felt something brush against his arm and side. Chloe had saddled up beside him shivering. His features softened as a gentle smile settled on his lips. He looped his arm through hers as they walked back to the parked car. Everything being just as they had left it, of course. Copia hadn’t expected otherwise, but it was always a relief to his anxiety to see nonetheless. He clicked the key fob in his pocket to unlock the doors and helped Chloe inside first before skirting around and plopping down into the driver’s seat. Copia started the car, immediately twisting the volume knob down before it had the opportunity to blare into the cars cabin.

“Cardinal?” Chloe piped up softly, her arms hugged around her middle. She looked across the small space directly into his mismatched eyes beneath long lashes. Her round doe eyes were dark in the shadows but with Copia’s inherited gift bestowed to him with his trademark white eye, he could easily see her features.

“Yes, cara?” he allowed the car to idle while the heater worked on warming up.

“I’m glad we did this today.” He voice was small as she spoke. “I had a very good time with you.” She smiled 

“Me too, cara. I think we both needed it.” He set his hand gently on her knee, squeezing just once with the gentlest of pressure before replacing back on the steering wheel. “Now, how about that slice, hm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with the second installment of this story. I hope you enjoy it.


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